Natasha Romanoff was just walking a friend home. That's how it all started. Simply, like most other things. Pepper was really uneasy in Natasha's neighborhood, and frankly Nat didn't blame her. Most of the thugs and amateur criminals left Nat well enough alone though thanks to her reputation, but she still wanted to make sure Pepper got home safely. It was only after they had said goodbye and Natasha was walking home when things started getting weird; just not in the way you'd expect.

She was walking past a small nice looking house. The paint was peeling but the demeanor was still kind and inviting despite the houses slight disrepair. As she walked past though, the porch light flickered on and a guy not much older than Natasha stepped out. He head messy dark brown hair, with tan skin and brown eyes. He was just beginning to grow some odd shaped facial hair and his clothes were casual.

"Excuse me! Hey there, can I ask you a question?" The man jogged lightly toward her and as he neared Nat steadied herself in a slight defensive position. She could see now he must have only been about seventeen from what she could tell. She didn't trust him but the easy smile he put on put her slightly more at ease.

"I know what you're doing. And don't worry I'm not going to try to kidnap you or anything I just have a question about the girl you were walking with. Your friend was kinda cute. Now, to be blunt are you and her… You know… together?" He had an earnest look on his face as if it was a science question he couldn't figure out. When Natasha started laughing he smiled at her.

"No no no. She's just a friend." Another shape emerged in the porch light.

"Tony! You can't just ask people if they… you know, fondue. It's not polite." Natasha started laughing again as Tony waved a hand at his friend dismissively. "I apologise for him miss." Natasha started to answer him but stopped when she could make out his features. Tony's friend had blue eyes and blonde hair in a carefully styled military type cut. He wore a simple brown leather jacket and white shirt as well as jeans. He smiled at her and offered her his hand.

"I'm Steve. The big man without his armor is Tony. I'm sorry if he offended you." Natasha smiled at him and coughed slightly, trying not to stare.

"It's alright, he didn't. But Tony, I would be happy to introduce you to Pepper." Tony came over and shook her hand, glad to be back in the conversation.

"Splendid. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening then with two lovely ladies and some fondue." Tony smiled evilly at Natasha as Steve spluttered and blushed. Tony addressed her confusion. "It's a long story Red. A bloody funny story, but I believe now probably isn't the best time. Have a nice night. Come knock when you feel like it." Natasha laughed and waved at the two teens as she continued toward her house. She didn't really feel like she wanted to leave, which is how she knew she had just made two new friends.

"Nat, why didn't you tell me immediately about this little meeting?! Of course I'll meet your friend! He sounds great. When were you thinking of going back?" Nat smiled into the phone as she walked toward Pepper's house.

"I'm actually here. I'll talk to the boys then come grab you. Okay, of course Pepper ha-ha I'll see you soon." Nat smiled as she hung up and rounded the last corner before the boy's house. As she approached she saw Steve sitting on the steps to the front door wearing the same thing he had the night before. In the hands were a sketchbook and a pencil. His back was against the railing on one side while his feet and legs were splayed across to the other rail. Nat smiled to herself as she watched his blonde head dip in concentration. She paused at the gate and low fence, pretending she was waiting for permission, but really she just wanted to look. Steve looked almost the same as she had seen him the night before but there were small details she didn't see in the dark. His leather jacket was of an old discontinued brand and his hands were rough and calloused, even as he held the pencil delicately in his fingers. His blue eyes stared solely at the page his was drawing on. His eyes were a bright blue, slightly darker than most she saw and even when they weren't looking at her she felt herself getting lost. She shook her short red hair and straightened her black jacket before she cleared her throat and gave a little cough. Steve's head jerked up and he gave her a surprised, happy half smile. He looked back at his book for a quick second and blushed before he closed it. He stood and walked over to her.

"Hey! I didn't see you there, sorry if I kept you waiting." Steve smiled adorably at her and she smiled back.

"I haven't been here long don't worry. What were you drawing? You looked really focused." He barked out a laugh and blushed again before coughing nervously.

"Uh, nothing important. Just doodles as Tony calls them."

"Speaking of Tony, is he here? My friend really wants to meet him."

"He's not actually here right now but he should be back in about five minutes. Would you like to sit down and wait?" Natasha nodded and followed him back to the steps. They sat side by side, Steve's elbows resting on his knees and Natasha's legs spread in front of her. Natasha could feel Steve growing nervous beside her and she hid her small smile as he attempted conversation.

"So, uh, do you live around here?" Natasha chuckled in response.

"I do actually. A few blocks south on Harrison St. What do you like to draw?" He smiled back at her and ran a hand over his gelled hair.

"I just scribble mainly. Sometimes I can get a pretty good picture if I have a, uh… inspiration." Natasha could feel him trying not to look at her. "Do you read any comic books?"

"I'm quite a fan of Captain America to be honest. Do you?"

"Yeah, I read a lot of Iron Man. Mainly because Tony makes me. Other than that I mainly read history books."

"History? Really. What type?"

"Mainly WWII." Natasha was intrigued.

"Can I ask why?" He half smiled again.

"It's a long story. I signed up for the army and almost got sent back. I wasn't the perfect soldier and I was a 90lbs asthmatic to make it even worse." Steve fell silent then, his mind obviously focused on something else. Natasha could see the smile fall from his lips and she felt the urge to try anything and put it back.

"What else do you do? Do you and Tony go to school?" Natasha asked, watching as Steve blinked to clear his reverie.

"Yeah, we're both seniors at Shield High. Tony just transferred from across town."

"That's interesting. That's where I go to. I wonder why I haven't seen you guys around."

"Like I said, Tony just transferred and I like to stay pretty invisible. Well, mostly. You might've seen me behind the school getting my ass kicked a couple years back. Now I can usually fight back."

"Why don't you ever run from the fights?

"I don't like bullies, doesn't matter where they're from. And if you start running you won't stop. If you stand up, fight back, well, they can't say no forever." Natasha had the feeling that the last part meant something a bit more meaningful to him so she didn't pry. She liked talking to him. She liked this, more then she'd like to admit. She watched his face fall again and as he turned to her, trying to smile.

"Anyways. What do you do? Hobby wise, I mean." Natasha was conflicted. Her training was starting to kick in. Should she lie? She really did like Steve and she didn't want to deceive him. Nat opted for truth.

"I do a lot of physical things. Martial arts mainly. I also go down to the shooting range when I can." She could see the surprise in his face and she chuckled slightly.

"Really? I was not expecting that." He looked like he was about to say more but he was cut off by a yell from the curb.

"Hey, Red! Cap! Did you miss me?" Tony smiled as he came into view of the house. Natasha smiled and stood in shock mere moments after.

"Pepper?!" Pepper laughed at her reaction as she followed Tony onto the lawn.

"We bumped into each other while I was walking home. He said he knew you so I decided to come here." Natasha hugged her friend and smiled at Tony as Steve helped him carry some bags inside. Steve disappeared inside for a moment while Tony dusted off his hands and smiled at the women.

"Ladies, it was wonderful to see you again but I'm afraid me and the Captain have important business to attend."

"Stop calling me that!" Was heard from inside and the trio laughed. Pepper and Natasha waved goodbye to the two boys again and walked back to Natasha's house.

"So, you looked like you were having fun with Steve." Pepper bumped into her on purpose and smiled at her knowingly. Natasha laughed and bumped her back.

"He was just being a gentleman Pepper. Though, I have to say, I might like him…. A little bit."

"Only a little bit?" Pepper waved her eyebrows suggestively and their laughter echoed down the street.

"So Cap how was your little talk with Red?" Steve smiled to himself as Tony leaned on the counter in front of him.

"It was… nice. She's really nice."

"Nice? You my friend need to get a thesaurus. She's a gorgeous red head who is totally into you! Put some more thought into it!" Little did Tony know, Red was all Steve could think about. "You know what Stars and Stripes, you should ask her out." Steve choked on the water he was drinking.

"w-what?"

"Come on! She was totally into you, and I know you like her to. I'm going to ask Pepper over for a movie night. Why don't you ask little Red? It could be a double date sort of thing." Steve wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked at Tony with his eyebrows raised.

"Tony she probably has guys on their knees for her. Why would she pick one like me?"

"Cap, you're not that skinny invisible guy anymore. You got something else in ya and Red took notice." Tony put a hand on Steve's shoulder and pulled out a bottle of schnapps from behind his back. "Have a drink with me." Tony poured two drinks and gave one to Steve. Tony smiled at him. "To the not-so-little-guys." Before Tony could drink however, Steve pulled it out of his hand.

"And how much have you already had to drink tonight?"

"Not as much as I could have."

"Then I'm taking this."

"Fine. We'll have it tomorrow."

"I haven't had any. Might as well drink it now."

The next morning Tony came out of his room to see Steve passed out on the couch. He shook his shoulder to wake him up.

"Did you save me some of that schnapps?" Steve groaned in response before saying;

"Not as much as I should have." Tony chuckled and went into another room to call Pepper.

Natasha ended up at their house again. She hadn't meant to but her feet had just carried her there. Instead of waiting at the gate though, she walked over the lawn to where Steve was sitting on the porch like he had been yesterday. She stopped in front of him and put her hands behind her back coyly, smiling.

"What are you drawing?" Steve snapped his head up and the book closed in one motion, but before he did Natasha saw fiery red streaks lining the top part of the page. Steve smiled at her happily, despite the blush forming on his cheeks.

"Just uh, doodling again. How are you?" She smirked and sat down next to him.

"Always the gentleman. I'm well, thank you. How about yourself?" Steve ran a hand over his hair quickly.

"Also good. I have a small headache but nothing to major. Tony's not here by the way. He called Pepper this morning. They've gone for lunch."

"I know. She called me to rant. She also invited me over to your guys' house for a movie night tonight. Apparently Tony asked her to since he didn't have my number. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah that'd be great! Just remember though that Tony is very used to getting what he wants. You may end up watching 21 jump street without your own consent." Natasha and Steve both laughed and she ended up moving a bit closer to him.

"Do you want to play twenty questions? We were pretty much doing it yesterday."

"Sure." Steve answered before smirking. "You go first."

"Um… How old are you?"

"Seventeen. Same question."

"That's cheating. Sixteen. You still need to ask another question." Natasha punched his arm lightly and he put his hands up in surrender before smiling.

"Alright alright. Um… Any siblings?"

"Only child. How many fights have you gotten into?"

"To many to count, but let's see. Well, I got beat up in that alley. And in that parking lot. And behind the diner on fifth."

"Wow. Did you have any girls trying to see you after you signed up? You don't really seem to know how to talk to them."

"I think this is actually the longest conversation I've had with one. Girls aren't exactly lining up to see a guy they might step on."

"I don't see how they could step on you. Did Tony try?" Steve laughed away the tension that had been building in his face.

"He might've. Then he decided I was worthy enough to live with." Natasha fake gasped.

"And what made you so special, that you were worthy of such a thing?" Steve smiled slightly and looked down at the concrete for a few seconds. Natasha put her hand on his shoulder, seeing that she brought up something sensitive.

"Cap?" Steve smiled again at the ground before looking into her eyes.

"Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." They continued to look at each other, each pair of eyes locked on the other. Natasha began to lose herself in his bright blue eyes like she had the day before, and oh god had that only been yesterday? She wanted to do something, felt the need to move closer to him. Steve whispered her name and she felt his breath on her cheeks. Natasha was about to whisper his when Steve closed the small gap between them. His lips touched hers and she whispered it into his lips instead. They leaned into each other, and Steve's hand went to the small of her back as well as the back of her neck. He leaned her back slightly, deepening the kiss. She put her arms around his neck and threw her legs over his lap. They stayed that way for what felt like hours. Natasha didn't want to stop. She knew she should but she just couldn't. There was something about Steve that made Natasha's heart thaw in a way it hadn't been since she and Clint had broken up. She had tried to harden her heart and had tried to stay away from him. On the latter though, she didn't try very hard. She hadn't wanted to. Natasha was finally able to admit it to herself, held in the arms of another; she had been lonely. And Steve had been there and he had been perfect. She pulled herself closer to him… just before they flew apart. The horn from Tony's black car was blaring in front of them as the car pulled up. Steve sat there blushing and running his hand over his hair and Natasha sat just beside him, her face almost as red as her hair. Pepper and Tony came out of the car and Tony wolf whistled before yelling across the small lawn at them.

"Finally! I was worried it was never going to happen. Weren't you Pepper?"

"I wasn't worried. We did make the plan to get them together, but it looks like we didn't need it." Pepper winked at Natasha who blushed deeper and looked at the ground.

"Oh yeah, so I'll give you… 12%."

"12%?! Of my baby?" Pepper whacked Tony lightly and he chuckled. Steve and Natasha's mortification lessened as the other couple grew more relaxed.

"So wait… Are you two going out now?" Natasha asked pointing between her friends. Pepper just smiled as Tony hauled Steve up by his arms.

"C'mon Cap. You have to help me set up the refreshments for the movie night tonight. Are you going to be joining us Red?" Natasha smiled and nodded as she followed Pepper and Steve into the small little house. Natasha glanced at Steve and found him already looking at her. He blushed and looked away and she smiled quietly. She and Pepper helped carry snacks and pop out to the living room that the boys handed to them. They could hear Steve munching on some chips that hadn't made it to the table and as she saw him crumple the bag, Natasha laughed and poked his shoulder.

"Geez, somebody needs to get you a sandwich or something!" Steve smiled at her without blushing and Natasha smiled back. In a few more minutes all four teens were settled in the living room arguing over the video remote.

"We should watch a horror movie!"

"Romantic!"

"21 jump street!"

"Tony we watched that yesterday!"

"I watched it yesterday. You were watching my schnapps bottle." Tony grinned as the girls laughed and Steve gave him an evil look. Eventually Natasha got control of the remote and picked the new batman movie before anyone could protest.

"There! Action it is!" Tony groaned and Steve and Pepper laughed. Tony and Pepper were sitting on one couch in the living room, her head on his shoulder and his arms around her waist. Natasha and Steve were on the opposite couch, simply sitting like they had earlier. After about twenty minutes of the movie Natasha's head drooped onto his shoulder. His arm went around her waist and Natasha sighed in contentment. About half way through the movie though, doubts and unwanted thoughts started creeping into her mind. If you asked her she wouldn't have been able to tell you what the last part of the movie was. As soon as it was over though, she was off the couch and out the door before anyone could say anything. She could hear Steve running out after her and she cringed when he called her.

She shouldn't have done any of it. Not the kiss, not the cuddling. They weren't good for a spy. They would make her soft. Barton had always distracted her from work and she didn't want Steve doing the same. She didn't want to put him at risk by being with him. She liked him. She liked him too much for that. Barton at least had been able to defend himself. He had been trained as she had and had been fine when people came after them. Steve wouldn't be able to do much. Sure, he was muscly but he didn't have the training she and Clint did, wouldn't know what to do if they were attacked after a date. And Natasha wasn't going to risk it by trying.

"Red! Wait! What's wrong?" Natasha snorted and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry Steve. This was a mistake. I shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

"I can't tell you that."

"I can't help you if you won't tell me anything."

"Maybe I don't want you to help me."

"Well to damn bad! Come on. Please? It'd be better to talk to someone that knows you then some stranger." Natasha started laughing then, and Steve didn't know why.

"Know me? Steve you don't know me. You don't know me at all."

"I think I know you better than you think I do."

"Really? Really Steve? Okay, well go ahead. How much do you know me?"

"I know you're a senior at Shield high. I know you read Captain America comic books. I know you love your red hair and would do anything for the people you love. I know you're an only child and you live by yourself. Your favorite colors are black and red, you train in the martial arts, you're a very physical person and you can shoot a gun." Steve stopped then and looked at her, watched as different doubts started crawling across her face. "I also know you don't like getting close to anyone. You think you're going to end up hurting them but you won't." Natasha put her face in her hands.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"You won't." Steve closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"How do you know that?"

"We've all got secrets Red. Now please, come back inside. We still have another movie to watch." He pulled back, his hands still on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes, smiling. She smiled back sadly and shook her head. Natasha stepped out of his grip and hugged herself to stop from shaking.

"There is one thing you don't know about me Cap." Steve looked at her strangely but stayed where he was, creasing his eyebrows in confusion.

"What's that?"

"What's my name?" Instead of watching him splutter Natasha turned around and walked back to her house in silence.

She ended up at their fence again. She really hadn't wanted to that time but she also knew she should apologise. Steve was sitting in his usual spot on the steps but today his eyes were conflicted. They darted from side to side, unable to stay focused on the page in front of them. When he noticed her he looked up at her and made a bad attempt at smiling. He stayed where he was and waited for her to come inside the gate. She walked in slowly, closing the gate behind her and went over to stand in front of him. Natasha took a deep breath and tried to keep her train of thought as he looked into her eyes.

"I came over to say I'm sorry. I may have over reacted last night and I wanted to apologise for inconveniencing you." Steve looked away from her. She was just about to turn to leave when the slamming of a book made her spin around.

"Don't do that! Do not talk to me like we're strangers! I really like you and I want to be able to get to know you better and I know you feel the same. So don't. Do not walk away from me like I'm nothing to you. I can't do anything if you won't let me." Steve's outburst surprised Natasha and apparently himself. He ended up standing directly in front of her though and as she stared into his eyes she stumbled for a response.

"Uh, I, um…" Her attempts at coherent speech were stopped when he kissed her. Natasha froze for a few moments before melting into it. His arms went to her neck and the small of her back and her arms went around his neck. After a few seconds he pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes, his breath slipping over her cheeks.

"Don't tell me that doesn't mean anything to you." Natasha buried her head into his chest.

"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"I can handle myself Natasha. I can't handle you running away from me. So please, stop running." Natasha stepped back and looked at him strangely. She half smiled at him and he creased his eyebrows again.

"You said my name." Steve started spluttering again but she kissed him quickly to help him recover some of his dignity. She heard whooping and happy yells coming from inside the house and she laughed when she figured out Tony must've been watching out of the window. She stepped out of Steve's embrace and put her hand in front of him.

"Lets start this again. My name is Natasha Romanoff." Steve smiled and shook her hand.

"Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you Natasha." They smiled at each other. A sudden wind blew by and they both heard the sound of pages rustling. Natasha smiled and looked at Steve, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"So what were you drawing?" Steve smiled at her and picked up the book.

"You." Natasha smiled back and started looking through the small sketchbook, admiring his work.

"So uh… Would you like to go on a date with me Natasha?"

"I would love that Steve." Steve took her hand and led her inside, smiling all the while. Natasha smiled back at him before remembering one of their previous conversations.

"Hey Steve?"

"Yeah Natasha?"

"Promise me you'll stay who you are. Not the perfect soldier, but a good man." They smiled at each other before the door shut behind them.